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Pentagon Pushes Forward on Syria Pullout

Military takes steps to withdraw troops amid uncertainty over the timetable for leaving

President Trump ordered the withdraw of U.S. troops from Syria, and declared that America had "defeated ISIS." WSJ's Gerald F. Seib discusses the significance of the decision and its consequences. Photo: AP

The U.S. military is moving ahead with its plans to withdraw all troops from Syria, in keeping with a White House directive in December, even though a U.S.-Turkey rift appears likely to delay the pullout, defense officials said.

White House national security adviser John Boltonsaid this week that the U.S. wouldn’t leave Syria until Turkey promised not to target the U.S.’s Kurdish partners, provoking a furor during his visit to Ankara and throwing the withdrawal plan into turmoil.